Moore, R. Stevie - What's the Point?!! vinyl lp (due to size and weight, this price for the USA only. Outside of the USA, the price will be adjusted as needed)
SKU
Rune 1
This was the first Cuneiform release and has been out of print for about 25 years, but we just found a couple while moving stuff around in the very back of the warehouse. Stevie is a rare talent, but he's served best when someone is around to help him figure out what his best material is. In the early 80s, that someone was me and I put this compilation of the best of his many, many cassette releases together and I still think it stands as one of his very best releases. Stevie sells this on his site for $100.00, so you may consider that these copies are 60% off!!
"The general mode is new wave, but this is stylistically as varied as a mid-late 70s Todd Rundgren album, and I wouldn't be surprised if Rundgren were one of R. Stevie Moore's many influences. There are a lot of contradictions here: the sound quality definitely bespeaks the fact that it's "homemade", complete with plenty of tape "flutter" and other conventional imperfections, but the lo-fi characteristics enhance the aesthetics. The songwriting and arrangements can be rough and they can be sublime, often at the same time. The best songs, like "Part of the Problem" and "Going Down the Way", have a quirky ingenuity that easily transcends any limitations, and even the more questionable songs still have a lot of charm. Moore's voice often comes across as "singing because I'm the only singer available", but it also tends to fit the material well."-rateyourmusic.com
Customer Reviews
Average Rating
Like Christ raised from the dead, my turntable has been resurrected after a long illness. One album I wanted to hear again was this one. I never was a huge fan and wanted to give it another chance. And now I still don't think it lives up to its (modest) hype. I know the lo-fi thing is his schtick, but to me it gets old very quickly. R. Stevie could really use some bare minimum production values, even if only one grade above what is physically required to get music onto tape. I do agree with rateyourmusic.com mentioning "Part of the Problem" and "Going Down the Way" as being the best songs- especially the latter, where his guitar sound and playing absolutely smokes any number of posey metal bands. There are a few good lyrics but not many. And a minor point, but I notice that the word "answer" is misspelled "anwser" three different times on the record sleeve. Why is this?? What's the answer? Who knows? Maybe when all is said and done, there are no answers. And no anwsers either. So is this album worth $40? Musically, I say no, but if you were to buy it you would be owning THE HISTORIC RUNE 1, and what price can you put on that? I say three stars, said through a $10 plastic microphone. -T.A.
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